Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, April 30, 1994                   TAG: 9405030118
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: WALTON                                LENGTH: Medium

DETOURING MADE REPAIRS ON WALTON NECESSARY

But heavy detouring traffic made the work necessary to keep the road safe, the Virginia Department of Transportation's Dan Brugh said Friday.

To prevent Walton Road from deteriorating further, VDOT also has banned through truck traffic on the narrow, five-mile stretch between Virginia 114 and U.S. 11 at Plum Creek.

Resurfacing was set to wrap up at week's end, said Brugh, the VDOT resident engineer headquartered in Christiansburg. Commuters were held up 20 minutes or more while it was under way.

"That's one of the roads that did not make it through the winter very well," Brugh said.

He said VDOT did not schedule the repaving to encourage motorists to use the detour route officials have deemed safer - through Christiansburg.

"If we were going to do that, we probably would have left it the way it was," he said.

Meanwhile, Radford University has announced it will begin shuttle van service for employees Tuesday while bridge repairs are under way. On the Fairlawn side, a van will run between the Crestar ATM building at the Radford Shopping Plaza to the bridge. On the Radford side, a van will run between the ABC Store parking lot to Preston Lot A at the campus directory.

Operating hours Monday through Friday will be 5:30-8 a.m., 3-3:30 p.m. and 5-6 p.m.

Area residents may use the shuttle on a space-available basis.

On commencement day, Saturday, the shuttle will run 6-8:30 a.m. and 1-3:30 p.m. For more information, call 831-5346.